Checking in with Clemson commitment Zac Brooks

Zac BrooksZac BrooksAthlete6-2, 180Jonesboro, ARView Full Profile sees other running backs get tackled by one defender, or go down after the first hit and it baffles him.

Running backs are supposed to carry their teammates hopes as well as the football, and less than 100 percent simply isn’t good enough.

So how often does the Jonesboro, AR, running back and 2012 Clemson commitment go down after first contact?

“Not very often,” Brooks told TigerNet Tuesday evening. “It is a mindset that you aren’t going to be tackled, and it also takes athletic ability and balance. I don’t want that first defender to bring me down. Too many guys get in there and dance around and then they get knocked down. That’s not my game.”

Brooks and his Jonesboro teammates are currently in the middle of the Arkansas state playoffs, and play in the semifinals this Friday night. They are led by the 12 rushing touchdowns Brooks has accumulated, most of it while trying to recover from a high ankle sprain.

“I didn’t miss any games,” he said. “I was being tackled, and the guy just kind of rolled over on it. I didn’t want to come out, and then on the very next play, somebody else rolled on it and I had to come out. But I didn’t want to miss any time, and I wanted to be there for my teammates so I played through it. It is 100 percent now.”

Brooks gave his commitment to the Tigers in the latter part of the summer, and made his first trip back to Clemson since that commitment when he watched the Tigers come back and beat Auburn in week three.

“The crowd was excited, and it was great being a part of that,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of an atmosphere like that. I can’t wait to get there and play.”

Brooks said that he likes what he sees out of Chad Morris’ offense, and believes he can find a home at running back next season.

“Coach Morris plans to use me all over the field,” he said. “I have great hands, and I can catch the ball out of the backfield or I can go and line up in the slot. But he told me he really believes I can come in and play running back. He has told me that he just wants me to work on getting stronger.”